Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies

Mary and I have been talking about Wyora's favourite ice-cream, since it was just her birthday on March 8th.

Mary remarked that she didn't not know  that maple walnut was my mother’s favourite ice cream.  She went on to say about her own ice cream,

I prefer it without the walnuts. I have always wondered why you would ruin anything with walnuts. Kind of the same way you feel about rhubarb I guess. Though I must admit I have learned that if your walnuts are fresh, they taste much better. Who knew nuts could go rancid? One of my new favourite cookie recipes calls for walnut, but I always use pecans instead if I can afford it. Well, even when I can’t afford it.   

http://nymag.com/restaurants/recipes/inseason/45991/

These cookies are not a candy -- they have eggs too, ha, ha, ha.   They are divine.  A cross between meringue and a brownie.  There is a bakery in town that makes them.  The owner of the bakery studies with the owner of this recipe in NY.

A friend and I have been coveting the recipe and she managed to find it.  You can half the recipe and it still works.

If you have any friends who have gluten allergies, they will worship you forever if you make these for them.

Share if you must, but give all the glory to me (give it to me).

Cupcakes

Tonia came to my house one night, bearing gifts: the beautiful cupcakes from Craves.  

I tasted a few of them.  

They came exquisitely wrapped, a beautiful variety in each package, and so tasty.  

Later that week I was talking to my friend, Marilyn Gilson, on the telephone and she said that she had made some cupcakes for a wedding, since the bride suggest those instead of a wedding cake.

I can see why there is a charm to the cupcakes.  I asked Marilyn about the cupcakes and here is what she told me, sending me both a preamble and some nice recipes.

"The start of my search for better cupcakes came with reading an article in Meridian magazine by Dennis Weaver – he said you have to add substance to cake mix cupcakes, mix-ins, flavor, nuts, chipits etc. but nothing specific.  Finding the site on-line telling that the best of the best cupcake ‘stores’ use cake mixes as the base adding sour cream, extra ingredients, oil etc – made me think a cake mix cupcake could taste good.  I also had had the experience of being asked to make cupcakes for Darlene Proctor’s granddaughter – for her wedding reception, that were a complete failure until I phoned the manufacturer and found out we have a high altitude and must add extra flour to the mix. And the amount of extra flour changes for each kind of cake mix.  I will say those were labour intensive cupcakes requiring many extra steps and I did have to buy a whole new set of ingredients because the first effort went into the “garbage”. The final product was extremely good though. I have no idea where that recipe is.  But here are some others."

Creamy German Chocolate Cupcakes, my favorite, made with a Duncan Hines Swiss Chocolate Cake Mix.  I liked it best with the filling inside the cupcake, others liked it best with the filling added on the top of the batter giving a chewy top.  Problem with that was the filling did not distribute evenly on top of the cupcake during the baking.  Filling in the middle – oh yes how do I make this come out evenly. . . .

1.      Filling: beat together till light and creamy: 8 oz, Cream Cheese, 2/3’ds cup of sugar, 1 large egg, 1 tsp. vanilla.  Add and stir in ½ cup mini chocolate chips, ½ cup flaked sweetened coconut. Set aside.

2.      To the cake mix add: 2 Tbsp. Flour, 1 small instant chocolate pudding, 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder

3.      Add 1 ¼ cups water (you could use half sour cream) ½ cup of veggie oil, 4 eggs slightly beaten 1 tsp. vanilla . Mix according to directions on cake mix box.

4.      Filling in the middle—drop app 1 Tbsp. batter into each of 24 paper lined muffin cups, add a spoonful of filling and top evenly with remaining batter.

5.      Bake at 350 degrees app 25 minutes.

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes: made with Duncan Hines Devils Food Cake Mix

1.      To the cake mix add: 1/3 cup flour and 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder – mix well

2.      Add 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup vegetable oil, 4 eggs lightly beaten, 2 tsp vanilla, ½ cup liquid – water or milk.  Mix as directed on the box

3.      Place a spoonful of batter into each of 24 paper lined muffin cups.  Place a mint patty into each cup. Continue to divide the batter evenly among the 24 cups (app 2/3rds full)

4.      Bake at 350 degrees 18-22 minutes

Carrot Cake Cupcakes:  an easy recipe from my friend Linet Meeks

1.      Mix together, 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1 tsp each B. Powder, B. Soda,  ½ tsp salt, 2 tsp. Cinnamon, ¼ tsp. nutmeg if desired.

2.      Add 4 eggs beaten lightly with 1 cup veggie oil, 3 cups finely grated/shredded carrots mix with hand mixer on low 2-3 minutes,  Can add chopped nut if desired

3.      Makes 24 cupcakes or 9 x 13 cake.  Bake at 325 degrees, cake: 50 – 60 min, cupcakes: 20-22 min?

I used Cream Cheese icing on all of these, butter icing would be good..  Have fun!

Marilyn Gilson

PS  From Arta -- I am going to post these recipes over on the Larch Haven Foodblog as well.

Pork served on a Thursday evening ...

... the most delicious pounded and marinated pork in the world ...

This is the meal that was served to Rebecca last night at Janet and Glen's house.  I guess the food you see is a good reason to learn to throw pots.

Glen says he will put up the recipe if Rebecca will put up the picture.

Now she has done her part.  When looking at the photo she took, she noted that the vegetables were as delicious as the meat.

Must have all tasted good!

Arta

Thimbleberry Wine

Can someone please make this?  (I am talking to you Glen)

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/thimble.asp

Of course, who on earth has time to pick 4-8 pounds of thimbleberries?

Lentils Curried with Rhubarb and Potatoes

I found the recipe in English with ingredient amounts. 

Thank to:  http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/stuff

Ingredients:

1 cup dry "orange" lentils
1 very large sweet potato, peeled and sliced
1 Tablespoon oil
1 cup rhubarb, diced
2 Tablespoons liquid sweetener
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ginger root, grated
1 teaspoon hot red chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Procedure:

Cover lentils with water in a deep pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and add raw sweet potato slices. Simmer until soft (about an hour). Remove from heat, drain, and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a skillet. Once hot, add rhubarb. Reduce heat and cook until tender. Stir in sweetener and seasonings. Mix with drained cooked lentils and potatoes that have been mashed together with a fork. Pour into a oven-proof dish and bake at 400 degrees until piping hot (about 20 minutes). Garnish with coconut. Serve with chutney and a big bowl of brown rice.

More Rhubarb Recipes -- Curried Lentils

Another recipe from my neighbour -- she says this is so, so good.  Again....  English to follow French.

Faites cuire la rhubarbe, comme en Inde, dans un curry de lentilles et de patates douces. Mettez des lentilles roses dans de l’eau et amenez à ébullition. Ajoutez des tranches de patates douces et mijotez environ 1 h. Retirez du feu, pilez et réservez. Faites revenir des morceaux de rhubarbe dans de l’huile et cuire jusqu’à ce qu’ils soient tendres. Ajoutez un peu de miel, du gingembre râpé, du cari et, si désiré, du piment fort. Mélangez avec la préparation aux lentilles et mettez dans un four réglé à 240 °C (465 °F) pendant une vingtaine de minutes. Ajoutez de la noix de coco râpée et servez sur du riz brun avec un chutney.


Bring red lentils to boil in some water.  Add pieces of sweet potato and stir for about an hour.  Remove from stove, drain, and put aside.  Saute pieces of rhubarb in some oil unil just tender.  Add some honey, grated ginger, curry and hot peppers if desired.  Mix together with the cooked lentils and bake in the over at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Add some shredded coconut and serve on brown rice with chutney.

Rhubarb Salsa

This morning I got an e-mail from Arta saying Moiya had dropped by with some rhubarb. 

My neighbour has rhubarb and knows I love it.  She has told me many times I am welcome to share her plants.  Often I do -- usually just to make a little rhubarb sauce to put on my ice cream.

She made some salsa a couple of weeks ago and brought some over to share.  It was delicious.  Here is the recipe.  (English to follow the French -- as we say in government).

Salsa. Faites cuire des morceaux de rhubarbe jusqu’à tendreté avec des oignons et de l’ail émincés, des raisins secs, un peu de miel, du vinaigre de vin rouge et du piment jalapeno. Passez au mélangeur avec des feuilles de coriandre fraîche. Servez avec des croustilles de maïs chauffées au four.

Salsa.  Saute pieces of rhubarb just until tender with minced onions and garlic, raisins, a little honey, some red wine vinegar and some pickled jalapenos. Mix with fresh coriander and serve with warm corn chips.